The report published on November 5th and entitled 'Between Prison and the Grave' accuses the Assad regime of carrying out tens of thousands of 'enforced disappearances'. An enforced disappearance is defined as the deprivation of a persons liberty by a state or an an agent of the state and the subsequent refusal to either acknowledge the deprivation of liberty in question or to reveal the fate of the person who has been 'disappeared'.

The report claims that friends and families searching for answers about missing love ones are exploited by 'middlemen' with ties to authority. These intermediaries take bribes in return for information about people who have been disappeared. Family members told Amnesty that while sometimes they approached the intermediaries, there were also occasions where the intermediaries approached them.

October 21st, 2015

Unannounced visit to discuss joint military campaign with Putin

October 20th, 2015

U.S, Russia reach Syria safety deal

Deal to keep aircrafts apart over Syria

Agreement designed to prevent confrontation between U.S and Russian military aircraft operating over Syria.

Lines of communication and safety protocols will be implemented, but intelligence sharing and 'zones of cooperation' are not involved.

The memorandum of understanding, which remains secret, came into effect immediately following its signing on Tuesday.

October 18th, 2015

Sanafi al-Nasr, leader of the group of Al Qaeda veterans targeted in coalition airstrike

Al-Nasr, also known as Abdul Mohsen Adballah Ibrahim al Charekh, is the 5th senior Khorasan figure to be killed in the last four months according to the U.S Department of Defence.

This operation deals a significant blow to the Khorasan Group’s plans to attack the United States and our allies, and once again proves that those who seek to do us harm are not beyond our reach

— Ash Carter, U.S Defense Secretary

October 16th, 2015

U.S and Russia discuss Syria co-ordination

The United States and Russia are close to agreeing a plan to co-ordinate each others military activity over Syria to ensure there is no accidental confrontation - President Obama and Russia's Defence Ministry both confirmed the talks on Friday.

Activists have posted videos on YouTube claiming to show the use of cluster munitions.

October 9th, 2015

$500 million programme to end in failure..

The U.S will no longer train Syrian opposition fighters, shifting instead to a policy of providing 'equipment packages and weapons' to a group of 'vetted leaders and their units'. The Pentagon said the changes would be refined and adjusted over time and cautioned that the effort to take back territory from ISIS would be a 'long and arduous process'.

October 2nd, 2015

Russia in Syria: Coalition calls on Russia to only target ISIS

We express our deep concern with regard to the Russian military build-up in Syria and especially ‎the attacks by the Russian Air Force on Hama, Homs and Idlib since yesterday which led to civilian casualties and did not target Da’esh. ‎

These military actions constitute a further escalation and will only fuel more extremism and radicalisation.

We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and to focus its efforts on fighting ISIL.

Speaking in New York on October 1st, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said that the country's airstrikes 'did not go beyond' ISIS, al-Nusra or other terrorists groups recognised by the UN and by Russian law.

The investigation

On November 18th, French police carried out a dramatic operation in the Parisian suburb of Saint Denis.

The anti-terror raid on an apartment block led to the arrest of eight people and the deaths of three suspected terrorists.

One of the dead was a woman who blew herself up as police approached.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is suspected of orchestrating the Paris attacks, also died during the raid.

The 28 year old Belgian national returned to Europe from Syria earlier this year via Greece unbeknown to French intelligence services according to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

Mr. Cazeneuve said that despite arrest warrants being in place for Abaaoud, France only became aware of his return from Syria after the Paris attacks.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said that the raid neutralised a terror cell that was preparing to act - eight people were arrested and at least two people, both suspected terrorists, were killed.

An operation by Belgian police in Molenbeek on November 16th ended without any arrests being made - a spokesman for the town's mayor told Buzzfeed officers were looking for the wanted Salah Abdeslam.

Mohammed Abdeslam, who was among those released in Belgium - two of his brothers have been implicated in the attacks, said his family's thoughts were with the victims. He has urged his brother Salah to hand himself in to authorities.

Prosecutor Molins said on November 24th that authorities suspect Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged ringleader of the Paris attacks who died in the Saint Denis siege, was planning an attack on La Defense financial district on November 18th or 19th.

Also on November 24th, police in Belgium issued an arrest warrant for Mohamed Abrini - police say the 30 year old was filmed with the wanted fugitive Salah Abdeslam two days before the Paris attacks and was seen driving a Renault Clio that was later used in the attacks.

The response

Addressing both houses of parliament on November 16th, President Hollande said the attacks were planned in Syria and organised in Belgium.

On November 19th, the National Assembly approved a three month extension to the state of emergency by 551 votes to 6.

On November 17th, France invoked the European Union's mutual defence clause - becoming the first country to do so.

EU interior and justice ministers met on November 20th and agreed to finalise an EU passenger name record system by the end of the year, in addition to other measures to strengthen controls at external borders.

President Hollande was in Washington DC on November 24th to meet with President Obama and is due to travel to Moscow on November 26th to meet with President Putin.

What is the EU's mutual defence clause?

Article 42.7 of the Lisbon Treaty, which has never before been invoked, obliges EU member states to provide aid and assistance 'by all means in their power' if another member state is the victim of an 'armed aggression' on its territory.

The clause calls on the EU to use 'all the instruments at its disposal, including the military resources made available by the member states' to protect civilians and democratic institutions from any terrorist threat.

President Obama, speaking at the G20 in Turkey, reiterated his position that using ground troops against ISIS would be a mistake.

France and Russia have intensified airstrikes on the ISIS, particularly its stronghold of Raqqa in Syria.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on November 16th that security services had foiled seven terror plots in the past six months - Mr. Cameron also said that he would not bring a vote on airstrikes in Syria to parliament as he feared such a motion would be defeated.

EU justice and home affairs ministers will hold an emergency meeting on November 20th following the attacks in Paris - among the subjects discussed will be a European 'passenger name record', firearms security and the reinforcement of controls at external borders.

President Obama described as 'shameful' the rhetoric from some Republican Party presidential candidates, including Jeb Bush, who have said that the United States should only accept non-Muslim Syrian refugees.

A number of governors in the U.S have said they would refuse to admit Syrian refugees into their states.

On November 19th, The House of Representatives passed a bill that would introduce stringent restrictions on the acceptance of refugees from Syria and Iraq - individual applications would require approval from leading national security figures under the proposed legislation, which was backed by 47 Democrats despite opposition from the White House.

The UN Refugee Agency has warned against demonising refugees in the wake of the Paris atrocities.

President Obama and President Putin spoke at the sidelines of the G20 summit in Turkey on Sunday - the two leaders agreed on the need for a political transition and a ceasefire in Syria according to an unnamed U.S official who spoke to Reuters.

Security fears led to football matches in Brussels between Belgium and Spain and in Hannover between Germany and The Netherlands being abandoned - Belgium has raised its terror threat level, while the situation in Hannover remains unclear.

The victims

All 130 people killed in the November 13th atrocities have now been identified.

A minute's silence was observed in Paris and in cities across Europe at 12pm CET on November 16th.